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Quick Facts
- NAME: Orson Welles
- OCCUPATION: Film Actor, Director
- BIRTH DATE: May 06, 1915
- DEATH DATE: October 10, 1985
- EDUCATION: Todd School for Boys, Art Institute of Chicago
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Kenosha, Wisconsin
- PLACE OF DEATH: Los Angeles, California
Best Known For
Orson Welles wrote, directed and starred in the film Citizen Kane, among others, which remains one of the most influential films ever made.
Videos see all videos
Orson Welles - Martians on the Radio
Watch a short video about Orson Welles and how he spooked America with his radio rendition of the "War of the Worlds" in 1938.
Orson Welles - War of the Worlds
On October 30, 1938, a young Orson Welles performed a radio version of "The War of the Worlds" presented as a news bulletin.
William Randolph Hearst - Citizen Hearst Trailer
Full trailer for the documentary film "Citizen Hearst" about William Randolph Hearst and the Hearst media empire.
Steven Spielberg - Iconic Director
Watch a short video about Steven Spielberg and uncover the ways that this director used his street smarts to learn the fundamentals of film making.
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Play NowOrson Welles. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 02:37, Jun 20, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/orson-welles-9527363.
Orson Welles. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/orson-welles-9527363 [Accessed 20 Jun 2013].
"Orson Welles." 2013. The Biography Channel website. Jun 20 2013, 02:37 http://www.biography.com/people/orson-welles-9527363.
"Orson Welles," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/orson-welles-9527363 [accessed Jun 20, 2013].
"Orson Welles," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/orson-welles-9527363 (accessed Jun 20, 2013).
Orson Welles [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 Jun 20] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/orson-welles-9527363.
Orson Welles, http://www.biography.com/people/orson-welles-9527363 (last visited Jun 20, 2013).
Orson Welles. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/orson-welles-9527363. Accessed Jun 20, 2013.
Health issues dominated his life, many of them brought on by his growing obesity--the filmmaker topped 400 pounds at one point.
The last decade of his life saw Welles continuing to stay busy. Among his many projects, he served as the spokesman for Paul Masson wine, made an appearance on the ABC series Moonlighting and made a documentary called Filming Othello (1979) about the making of his 1952 film.
Toward the end of his life,
Welles and Hollywood seemed to have made up. In 1975, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award of the American Film Institute, and in 1985 was awarded the Directors Guild of America's D.W. Griffith Award, the organization's highest honor.
He did his last interview on October 10, 1985, just two hours before his death, when he appeared on The Merv Griffin Show. Not long after returning to his Los Angeles home, he suffered a heart attack and died.
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View groupIn the 1940s and 1950s, the United States was in the grips of a "red scare." Many prominent individuals suspected of sympathizing with liberal or humanitarian causes were branded a communist threat, and even accused of espionage. Hollywood was a major focus of the accusations, and after 10 actors refused to testify in front of the House Committee on Un-American Activities, the blacklist was created. Hundreds of actors, actresses, directors, screenwriters and other entertainment professionals were barred from working. Here are some of the famous people who were on the Hollywood blacklist.
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Best Screenplay Oscar Winners
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